Northumberland entrepreneur helps local businesses harness the power of the internet

A Northumberland man has swapped a career in numbers to establish a business in words and pictures, aiming to help local businesses perform well during the credit crunch by tapping into the power of the internet.

Ken Hill of Alnwick spent the last 25 years in management accountancy before realising a long held ambition to run his own business. He chose national franchise ORCA websites who specialise in helping small to medium sized enterprises beat the larger high street stores by improving their online trade. Ken comments: “I have wanted to run my own business for some time now and had been looking at an internet focussed opportunity because this has been a growing marketplace over recent years and is a very powerful tool for improving a company’s results. In Northumberland there are a vast number of service providers particularly in tourism & accommodation, food & catering and also small retailers that can benefit from having a strong website. Helping SME’s have an online presence and compete against high street brands is something that really interests me.” “With major chains and out-of-town centres putting increased pressure on smaller retailers and service providers, online sales are fast becoming the saviour of the small business. Added to this the recent economic climate and it is even more important for companies, no matter how small, to have an online presence to help give their business an edge. Even if not for selling products on-line, it is a great advertisement for the business as the first thing people do when looking for goods or services is to search for them on the internet.” Ken is now sourcing and meeting businesses across Northumberland who are interested in creating a website for their business or improving their existing website so that it works more effectively for them. Ken and all ORCA franchisees are the interface between the client and ORCA’s head office in Leeds. Ken meets local businesses to establish what they require from their website and then briefs the central team of experienced designers to produce hard working websites which reflect the unique positioning of each client. Ken Adds: “Businesses I am working with recognise this is a whole package of business support and advice and not just a sales and marketing tool. As well as having a website that works well for their business I am finding that they appreciate my ideas and suggestions to help improve their business returns. In addition to increased returns, businesses I work with are seeing increased footfall and on-line interest and enquiries. Business owners I am working with are delighted and impressed at the quality of the websites we’re creating for them. The outcomes of their investment are measurable and they also optimise other marketing spend, as potential customers can be steered to the site to find out more.” “Smaller retailers and service providers are facing mounting pressure from chains and out-of-town shopping centres. But over 22 million people use the web every month in the UK searching for information about goods and services. Over £50 billion was spent online last year and a professional online presence is fast proving to be the small business saviour.” “Perceptions are that branded, quality websites which rank high in the search engines must cost a fortune but as the ORCA concept was built with small businesses in mind we empathise with their needs. Most small firms have to work within very tight budgetary constraints in marketing their products and services, especially at start up. Our websites have to be (and are) affordable for them.” And then we even offer them the opportunity to spread the cost of their relatively modest investment over six months. By about month three if they are selling online they are usually in the money; a good website can pay for itself from new business generated in a matter of weeks.” ORCA is a national franchise operation, dedicated to providing quality, affordable websites for small and medium sized businesses across the UK

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